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I have an 11 year old miniature dachshund with lethargy,

I have an 11 year old miniature dachshund with lethargy, rapid breathing ( abdominal) and rapid heart rate. No sign of bloat. Cold nose. Vomiting small amounts of what looks like spit.

Veterinarian's Assistant: I'm sorry to hear that. This sounds like it might be serious. I'll let the Veterinarian know what's going on ASAP. Is there anything else important you think the Veterinarian should know about the dachshund?

She has had a abdominal torsion before and sugary corrected but she is not act the same this time. Also was diagnosed with heart worms 6 years ago and it was decided it was not a good idea to treat.

Can you take a breathing rate for me (just count her breaths for 10 seconds + multiply by 6)?

If you feel her heart rate is >160 beats per minute, can you also take a heart rate for me (same way as breathing rate but counting the beats you can feel when you have your hand on her chest)? Does the beat feel regular or erratic?

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Customer reply replied 1 year ago

Symptoms started about 1am est. I heard her under my bed trying to vomit. Nothing is coming out except for clear spit. She will not eat or drink. Turns away when offered. Coughing with gagging. Very noisy breathing sounds like an air pump. Imagine old bicycle pump or BP cuff. Gums and tongue pale and sticky. No pain, discomfort or bloating in stomach area. No access to anything she could have eaten. Respiration 120 but vary. Very hard to get heart rate due to labored breathing, I can feel it but can't count it.

No worries if you cannot get the heart rate, but to hear her gums are pale with all of this on top of that 4x elevated breathing rate is a real worry here.

Now while she shouldn't be at risk of torsion if she has had a surgical pexy, we do still have some concern about a compromised gut (possibly from a broken down pexy but possible blockage or trauma causing internal bleeding or compromise to the gut circulation would also fit with these signs). That said, with her heartworm history, I cannot exclude a emboli lodged in a major vessel or her lungs. Of course, if she has severe heartworm disease they can block heart valves and cause all of what we are seeing. And given there has been more of a cough/gag her along with the other signs those heart complications are top suspects here.

In any case, with that gum color telling us that her circulation is compromised and she isn't getting enough oxygen (even with how much quicker she is breathing), this is unfortunately an emergency situation. We need her on oxygen at the very least and would want the local vet to assess her heart and her gut. If we have heart failure or an emboli from the heartworm issues there are medications that can try to manage it even if the parasite isn't treated for. And if we can address that +/- any GI issue afoot we'd hope to get her stable here and avoid her collapsing on you.

In this situation, just in case you do wish to see an ER vet, you can check @ http://www.vetlocator.com/ or https://www.veccs.org/facility-directory/

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Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.